There are many different types of social media and they can get overwhelming if you try to focus on all of them at once. You don’t have time to spend your day strictly on social media and that is an easy trap to fall into if you don’t know what you are looking for.
If you are looking to increase visibility for yourself and enhance your career the main sites to focus on would be Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linked In, You Tube and Pintrest.
Those are the most used and the places that employers or clients would be looking to connect with you on.
Many big companies use these platforms for various reasons. Facebook is a great place to build relationships. Twitter is great for customer service and quick updates. Google Plus is another great place for relationship building. Linked in is where you want to be to build your business connections and showcase your expertise. You Tube gets your videos out in front of more people and Pinterest is a great place to put products as well as find new ideas to use in your own life or business.
Take Salman Khan for example. While working in the finance industry, he created math tutorials via You Tube to help a cousin who lived in another state. Before he knew it, thousands of young people were watching these videos to help them in mathematics too. A few months later, Bill Gates hears about it. Before you know it, Khan Academy is born! Singers aren’t the only ones who are discovered on You Tube!
By building relationships and showing the world that you really are an expert in your field this will land you more job opportunities, more potential clients, more potential mentors…all the things you need in order to learn more and get followers of your own.
Be aware of what you are posting and understand that many, many people will see that post. Some will judge you…let that go. They are not the people you want to have opportunities with anyway. Be true to yourself. Be authentic.
Always be professional when sharing with the public. No one really cares what you are doing each minute of each day. The things that stand out and connect you to others are things they can relate to. Family stories, great meals at great restaurants, a movie you saw and what you thought. Things that build up trust and connect you in a human way to the person viewing your profile is ultimately what will boost the interaction you see and the opportunities that will inevitably come to you.
Take the time to enjoy what you are posting as well as what you are reading. It is totally OK to “unfriend” someone online if what they are sharing is of no interest to you…but remember the same goes for other people with you. Make sure you are engaging, and are sharing valuable content. What if one click on your profile leads you to a new career or journey?
